Instagram No Longer Safe For Kids?

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December 18th 5 pm Update – Instagram has responded to all of the questions on their blog. They clearly state that private accounts will remain private and that:

“it was interpreted by many that we were going to sell your photos to others without any compensation. This is not true and it is our mistake that this language is confusing. To be clear: it is not our intention to sell your photos.“

This is why knee-jerk reactions and deleting accounts in a fit are never the right answer. Thank you Instagram for not ruining a great thing.

This update makes the heart of this post out of date, but parents NEED to be aware of what their kids are doing and where they are doing it.

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I’m a big fan of using photography to share my life with others. I take photographs every single day and with the new social tools that are out there I am able to share these with friends,family and followers around the globe.

I’ve been using Instagram for a long time and love the community I’ve found there. But, yesterday they decided that money was the most important thing to them and as a parent it means I have to encourage every one of you to NOT allow your children to use it anymore.

Let me be very clear right up front that Instagram is a business and they have to make money to survive. I understand that and have wondered for quite some time which path they’d choose to keep moving forward. They certainly have many options and they must monetize their platform.

But, what they decided is that starting next year, they own the rights to sell any and all of your images to anyone they want. You don’t get any say in it or any money for it. After January 16, 2013 any photos on their servers they can do this with as shown in their terms of service. There have been lots of write ups about what this means and this one explains it well.

Now, my daughter and many of her friends love Instagram. They share photos of their outfits, nails, and other slices of life around them. They love it for the same reasons I do.

I allowed this because my daughter has a private account and I have to approve of any new followers. Her phone doesn’t have data capabilities, so she can only post from her iPod Touch when on a wireless network so this keeps the chances of inappropriate choices to a minimum.

Tonight, I’m explaining to her that unless Instagram changes their mind (I am going to wait and see if they realize how stupid of a business decision this is) she is going to have to delete her account and I’m encouraging all other parents to have the same discussion.

It is our responsibility as parents to protect our kids. Giving any company full and unchecked access to our children’s image is not something we should ever allow.

Personally, I’m not deleting my account yet, but I have updated my profile to share my feelings on the matter. *grin*

If they choose to continue with this, I fully expect that I’ll stop using the service because there are other options to share my photography that don’t involve me handing over MY rights to something that helps me make a living.

But, from the parenting point of view, this is an easy call.

Our children should NOT be on Instagram with these new terms of service. I hate saying that because I’ve had a blast watching what my daughter and her friends share. Interacting with them has allowed me to get to know them better than I would have without the tool. I’ve been able to peek in and keep an eye on my daughters life without being obtrusive and in a manner that we both enjoy.

And to anyone who plays the “but it is free” or “you don’t have any privacy already” cards let me stop you there because I understand that. I probably understand it more than you do.

My problem is with granting any company the right to sell my images without my approval. That is the only part of this that gets me angry and why I wrote this.

Parents, as of this moment in time Instagram is not a good place to let your kids have an account. With tons of new phones being given as gifts this year I encourage you not to let them sign up for one. If they have one right now, don’t freak out and delete it quite yet, but be aware of what is going on and ready to do so if things don’t change.

Photographer

If I had to choose a style, I’d say my photos are a mix of documentary, travel and lifestyle photography. While I may not enjoy taking head shots, I love to shoot faces. I rarely go anywhere without a camera in my hand and I’ve been fortunate to see my photos on the pages of Rolling Stone and The Wall Street Journal.

I’m currently shooting with a Canon 80D, an iPhone 7+ and a Chroma 4k Drone.

Marketing Consultant

With over twenty years of marketing, online media and community building experience I have the skills and experience to help your organization no matter the size. Previous clients have included The Coca-Cola Company, American Eagle Outfitters and HBO.

I focus on social good/impact marketing, content marketing and brand strategy. My favorite clients are NGOs, nonprofits or brands looking to make a difference in the world.

Keynote Speaker

I’m happiest when on stage educating and inspiring an audience of any size, anywhere in the world.

I have spoken at everything from large international events, corporate retreats and at special gatherings of unique individuals. If you need someone who will inspire, educate and entertain your audience I’d love to chat.

Advocate & Volunteer

I believe in using my skills, time and voice to champion causes that are important to me. I’m especially interested in anything military, dogs or children focused.

Teacher

On top of all that I’m a proud life long New Englander who was born and raised in New Hampshire, but now resides outside of Boston.

I married my high school sweetheart, have two amazing kids and love being a dad.

I’ve been online since 1989, began blogging in 2002 and podcasting in 2004.

Previous endeavors I created include Accident Hash, Passion Hit TV, Digital Dads and The Advance Guard.

Tattoos, travel and the outdoors turn me on. There are fewer things more perfect than a well-done cocktail, a delicious meal or live art of any sort. I love my GORUCK, Field Notes and am a proud Misfit.

To understand me is to understand that I try to live a purposeful life every day that is full of adventure, love and making the world around me a better place for all.

Official Bio

C.C. Chapman describes himself as a New England raised storyteller, explorer, and humanitarian. Others have described him as a thought leader in the online marketing space, a grounded futurist and one the nicest guy on the Internet. Over the years of his career, he has worked with a variety of clients including Nike, HBO, American Eagle Outfitters, ONE, Verizon FiOS and The Coca-Cola Company.

He is the co-author of the International bestseller Content Rules and is also the author of Amazing Things Will Happen. He travels the world speaking in front of audiences to do more in the world and how to understand content marketing better. C.C. has taught classes for Lynda.com, CreativeLive and now as an adjunct professor at Bentley University (where he also graduated from).

C.C. is an advocate who speaks about building passionate communities and the strategic values of content-based marketing. He is a Samsung Imagelogger, the original ONE Dad and a UN Foundation Social Good Fellow. As a storyteller for hire, his work has appeared on the pages of Rolling Stone and The Wall Street Journal.

C.C. serves as the Chairman of the Board at Wediko and serves on the board of The Hockey Foundation. He happily lives in the woods outside of Boston with his loving family. Find out more at CC-Chapman.com

Fun Bio

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more multi-faceted or enthusiastic creative/strategic partner in the marketing and content creation fields. This greatly hails from C.C.’s unstoppable combination of marketing experience and savvy (which a great many professionals claim to have), and incalculably valuable “on the ground” knowledge and insight as an influential content creator himself (which a great many professionals do not). The result is a best-of-both-worlds mashup of marketing expertise.

C.C. Chapman sports the pro cred to be a talker (working closely with such clients as American Eagle Outfitters, Coca-Cola, HBO and Warner Bros.), and the passion and gumption to be a doer (creating content for the emerging Online Dad market, marketing professionals, music fans and more). He’s helped create, manage and execute ambitious online and offline marketing campaigns for startups and multinationals — and has the invaluable good sense to know which outreach strategies work with audiences, and which ones fall flat.

He authoritatively speaks your language. He speaks your CMO’s language. Most important, he’s fluent in your market’s language. It’s a killer double-chocolate-and-peanut-butter combination. Contact C.C. to learn how he can help your organization achieve its business goals. There’s, even more, to know about C.C. Chapman if you want to read it — and you should. C.C.’s skills are an embarrassment of riches.

Head Shots

DISCLOSURES

I’m involved with a lot of organizations and clients. I believe in being completely transparent and open about everything I’m working on. I’ll do my best to keep this updated and of course, will clearly disclose relationships in any post that require them.

I am open to being pitched and invited on press trips.

Companies do send me items in the hopes that I will review it or share with my community. If you send me something it does not guarantee a review.

With that in mind, my mailing address is:

9 C Medway Road #117 Milford, MA 01757

Current relationships include:

Verizon FiOS provides me with service in exchange for a monthly post on technology of my choosing

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